“The major issues that are commonly talked about have directly affected me and my family. I want to see a comprehensive strategy to help this city.”
Why are you running for city council?
I want to help, as an RMT that has been my life for the last 14 years
Tell us a bit about your background and experience, and how that will inform the way you work as a city councillor?
The major issues that are commonly talked about have directly affected me and my family. I want to see a comprehensive strategy to help this city.
What do you think was the most consequential decision made by city council during the 2018-2022 term?
The biggest one was the library, it is still the one to elicit a emotional response through the city.
Guelph has to make accommodation for 208,000 people and have 116,000 jobs ready by 2051. What’s your growth strategy, and how will you co-ordinate with developers, neighbourhoods and community groups to achieve it?
Well, we will need a housing strategy to accommodate that amount of people, this could help with some of the jobs but also have to attract other business, office work not just labor.
We also have a lot of growing pains to deal with in light of this, i feel we are going to have to build up as in apartments not just out.
Homelessness and the mental health and addiction crises are having a profound impact on Guelph, what can be done at a council level to address these issues, and what will you do as an individual councillor to address them?
I’d love to see the housing issue dealt with, apartments for one, multi income to help. a med centre to help with the mental health as well as provide assistance to the addiction. but we also need to have an strategy to provide term a way to stay off of such things, bring them into the community. training in different fields to allow then to gain employment.
Would you support a more collaborative relationship between the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington? What would that look like?
Defiantly, collaborating with the county and surrounding city’s would be a benefit to all. working together is the only way.
How would you increase accessibility at city hall? How will you make sure that your constituents feel well-informed and well-represented in council?
More ways to get in touch, not everyone wants to call or email. so set up times to meet with people face to face.
Movements like Black Lives Matter and the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools have made the creation of more equity and inclusion at city hall a top priority. How will you help promote greater representation and work to create more equity and inclusion at the City of Guelph?
This is always been a struggle, and we will always have to work at including all people. working together is the only way.
The City of Guelph, as a corporation, is responsible for three per cent of emissions locally. What will you do to encourage and assist the Royal City to reach it’s net zero and 100 per cent renewable goals?
Keep looking into the options, and promote people as well as industry to invest in renewable energy.
Excluding 2-way/all-day GO Train service, how would you work to expand regional transit options to and from Guelph?
We should with the city’s around us. KW and Hamilton being the biggest, but as well as the smaller city’s. perhaps a regional specific service to connect us all.
If you could dedicate your time on city council to one issue over the next four years, like you were a federal or provincial cabinet minister, what would that be, and why?
The biggest issues at this moment are housing, mental health and addiction. this is a monstrous task but with time and co operation between the city, the county and the privet sector we can get things on tract for the future.
It’s budget time: You have a heritage building redevelopment project, the modernization of a key city service, or you can reduce the proposed budget increase by a full percentage point. You can either fund one of these endeavours in their entirety, or you can assign each option a portion of funding. What’s your motion?
I lean towards a portion to the different projects.
Finish this sentence: I would be very disappointed if we got the end of this election without debating…?
Housing.
Where can people learn more about you, and your campaign?
Guelph Politico 